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Monday, January 13, 2014

Martin Brodeur isn’t sure if it will be his final time playing in Montreal, but the Devils goaltender is looking forward to starting in his hometown again Tuesday night at Bell Centre.

“It’s always special to play here,” Brodeur said this afternoon. “I don’t think it’s a lot more special than other times, but this is the last time in Montreal this year for everyone on our team, so we’re excited.”

Brodeur will get the start for the Devils after Cory Schneider played the last three games. It’s been almost a given throughout Brodeur’s career that he’d play when the Devils are in Montreal, mostly because he usually plays well.

Prior to a 3-2 loss at Bell Centre on Dec. 2, Brodeur hadn’t lost in regulation in his hometown in eight consecutive starts (7-0-1). In 30 career starts at Bell Centre, he is 19-9-1 with a 1.66 goals-against average, .939 save percentage and five shutouts.

With this being the Devils’ final regular season visit to Montreal in 2013-14, it is possible that it will be Brodeur’s final game here. With his contract expiring at season’s end, he has yet to decide if he will return for another one, but said Sunday that his “heart” is telling him to keep playing.

“My body could be a different story,” he said. “We’ll see.”

But Brodeur said he’s not going into Tuesday’s game thinking that this could be his last chance to play here.

“It might be, but I don’t see it like that,” Brodeur said. “I just go out and play. I have good memories everywhere I play, so it’s not one last time that’s going to make a big change in how I feel where I play. I’m just kind of playing the games I need to play.”

That said, the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer admitted he has taken some moments already this season to look around at the surroundings when he plays in certain buildings. One such moment came on Dec. 7 at Madison Square Garden when the Devils made their final scheduled visit there of this season.

Brodeur said he’d likely do the same Tuesday night – just in case.

“I think you kind of enjoy a little more some of the visits you make because you know you’re not going to play forever,” Brodeur said. “So, sometimes you catch yourself looking up and being in the moment and really enjoying what’s going on at the time.”

Brodeur’s brother, Denis Jr., was at Bell Centre this afternoon taking photos of him while he was facing shots during the Devils limited practice.

“We’re never here a day before a game, so I took advantage,” Brodeur said. “I gave him a call and he came down.

Denis Jr. was shooting from the same corner of the rink, their father, Denis Sr., the Canadiens’ longtime team photographer, did when Martin would play at Bell Centre.

“I noticed that,” Martin Brodeur said. “That was probably more for (Claude). My brother does what my dad did, so it’s kind of nice for him to come in here and take some pictures.”

Denis Sr. passed away on Sept. 26 at age 82 after battling brain cancer. Being at Bell Centre, where his father was such a fixture, always brings back memories, but Martin Brodeur said, “We always have him in mind. That’s for sure.”

Brodeur said the memory of his father is one of the things that has driven him this season.

“Every time you go out, you always try to find things that kind of motivate you and stuff like that,” he said. “Definitely, the passing of my dad was a big thing early on, but you try to get by and get through it. But he’s always going to be with me. He was always with me, so it’s just one of these things that I know he’s up there looking at us.”

When it was mentioned today that his father’s presence has been missed around Bell Centre, Brodeur said, “The Montreal Canadiens have been a big part of my family. I never played for them and probably will never play for them, but I think it’s a big part of me growing up and my career with my dad. So, it’s definitely appreciated when people think about it.”

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A camera crew was at Bell Centre this afternoon filming Brodeur and his brother for part of the NHL Revealed series that will feature several players who will be participating in the league’s stadium series games. The Devils will take on the Rangers on Jan. 26 at Yankee Stadium. NHL Revealed has also already filmed some preliminary footage with Devils forwards Patrik Elias and Jaromir Jagr for the series, which will premiere on NBCSN on Jan. 22.

The refrigeration truck and preparation crew will move into Yankee Stadium on Wednesday to start building the rink.

NHL Revealed is to chronicle the build-up to the outdoor games, the games themselves and continue through the Olympics.

About

TOM GULITTI has covered the New Jersey Devils for The Record since 2002. Prior to that, he covered the New York Rangers for four years. Gulitti joined The Record in 1998 after six years at The North Jersey Herald News. He graduated from Binghamton University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric-Literature.